Wendi C. Thomas: Tiring of giving spirit with bonuses

At least it is for Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division employees, all of whom enjoyed a winter windfall, thanks to you, the ratepayer.

In lieu of one percent raises, MLGW's full-time workers will get $750 in Friday's paycheck. Part-time workers will get $200, for a total of about $2 million.

They join city and county employees, who also got end-of-year bonuses.

It's extra Christmas cheese. Or Kwanzaa cash. Or the Hanukkah hookup.

Call it whatever you want, it's still crazy. Get Beltone on the line, because you have to be mighty tone deaf to hand out bonuses to public employees when private folks are struggling with the same increased living expenses public employees are getting a hand with.

Were the bonuses well-intentioned? Sure.

It's the holidays, after all. Who isn't scrounging in their pockets for spare change for those Salvation Army bell ringers and their kettles?

Everyone is feeling a little more generous. I get that.

And you can be as generous as you want with your money.

But when it's money contributed by ratepayers and taxpayers, entities owned by the people, using funds generated by the people must be more circumspect.

Although household budgets don't work this way, the bonuses that MLGW gave out aren't connected to the proposed 5.9 percent water rate increases denied by the Memphis City Council earlier this month.

But for the city? It faces a $40 million budget shortfall come July, which makes the bonuses the council gave inexplicable.

It's been suggested that since government employees likely vote at a higher rate than the rest of us, politicians are more inclined to grease that wheel.

All but one of the sitting council members were returned to office in elections this fall. Mayor A C Wharton was challenged by Edmund Ford Sr., who had the backing of city workers' unions peeved at the 4.6 percent pay cuts the council passed earlier this year.

Perhaps these elected officials are counting on voters -- only 18 percent of whom voted in the October municipal elections -- to forget this largesse by the time we head to the polls again. (I'm setting a reminder in my iPhone now for October 2015.)

The bonuses deepen a rift, intended or not, between citizens and elected officials, whose motives we're already suspicious of.

Yet again, the powerful (in this case, politicians and MLGW's board) divide and conquer the 99 percent, by currying favor with a constituency that votes.

The county's raises are poorly timed, given the economic climate, but at least they were given from a surplus -- a surplus that probably should have been saved for a rainy day.

Here's the math: The bonuses combined are $10.3 million to employees. For the city, it's $750 to full-time workers and $200 to part-time employees, at a cost of about $4.6 million.

For the county, it's $650 to full-time workers, and some temporary employees will get $200, at a cost of about $3.7 million.

It is entirely possible that my ire is fueled by my glass of haterade.

I don't know many workers who are getting raises or bonuses; after recent layoffs by my employer, I consider having a job at all my holiday bonus.

When the rising tides lift all ships, that's a good day.

But to see government employees' ships getting a boost while others are taking on water is frustrating.

Where is the fairness and frugality we should expect from government? Or am I silly for thinking that the city, county and MLGW should be a model of financial stewardship?

The money is spent now, so I must wait until such a time as I can express my disgust at the polls.